The City of Kaneohe, Hawaiiderives its name from "kne ohe" meaning "bamboo man". This comes from an ancient Hawaiian story about a man and woman who once lived here. The wife compared the husband's cruelty to the sharp edge of a cut bamboo. Thus, the bamboo man became the city's name. Due to its abundance of rainfall, Kaneohe was an important agricultural area. Today, Kaneohe is mostly a residential community, with the only commercial crop of any consequence in the area being bananas. As of the 2000 census, the population of Kaneohe was 34,970 people.

The Ho'omaluhia Botanical Garden is part of the Honolulu Botanical Gardens. Established in 1982, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built the garden for flood protection. They are open 9am-4pm daily and only closed on Christmas Day and New Year's Day. There is a day use area, campgrounds and a Visitor Center that contains a lecture hall, exhibition hall, workshop and botanical library. Some of the botany planted in the Ho'omaluhia Botanical Garden represent specimens from the Phillippines, Hawaii, Africa, Sri Lanka, India, Polynesia, Melanesia, Malaysia and Tropical America. The garden itself changes as the plants mature. There are guided nature hikes available at 10am on Saturdays and 1pm on Sundays. You need to call 233-7323 to register.

There are three golf courses in Kaneohe: Pali Golf Course, Ko'olau Golf Course, (privately owned but open to public) and Bayview Golf Links. The Pali Golf Course is an 18-hole, par 72, 6524 yard long municipal course open to the public. The Ko'olau Golf Course is an 18-hole, par 72, 7310 yard long privately owned course, but open to the public. And, the Bayview Golf Links is an 18 hole, par 60, 3399 yard long privately owned course that is open to the public. The Bayview course has two miniature golf courses, a lighted driving range and a pink set of tees to encourage the kids to play as well.

Nuuanu Pali lookout definitely has some of the best views in Oahu. Overlooking the 985 foot cliffs of the Koolau Mountain Range, the "Cool Height Cliff" was where King Kamehameha and his warriors defeated the Oahu armies in 1795, uniting the Hawaiian Islands. There are tunnels (the Nuuanu Pali Tunnels) in the cliffside that connect Kailua/Kaneohe with downtown Honolulu via a main highway, Hawaii State Hwy 61. Hawaiian forklore says that pork should never be carried over Nuuanu Pali. This is especially true after dark. Some people reported that their automobiles would mysteriously stop until they removed the pork they were carrying from their car.

The Windward Mall is a fabulous place for shopping. One of the largest shopping malls in Hawaii, Windward Mall is a great place to shop, dine and play. They have apparel shops, book, card & stationary stores, a dance studio, department stores, electronic, entertainment and toy stores, restaurants, a food court, art shops, health & beauty shops, jewelry & accessory stores, music & photography stores, optical centers, a pet shop, shoe stores and a movie theater. Their hours are 10am-9pm Monday-Saturday and 10am-5pm on Sundays.